Purpose

Since nursing programs must
be reviewed and approved by both the State Board of Nursing and the Montana
Board of Regents, the purpose of this policy is to coordinate that review and
approval. These procedures only apply
to nursing programs in the Montana University System.

Documentation

A common document, setting
out all of the information required for review and approval of nursing programs,
shall be submitted to both the State Board of Nursing and the Montana Board of
Regents. The specific information to
include in the document is set out in Sections 8.32.801 and 8.32.807 of the
Administrative Regulations of Montana; and Montana Board of Regents’ Policy No.
303.1, Curriculum Proposals. To insure
that nursing programs are not overextending themselves, pass rates on the
nursing licensure examination for the last five (5) years will be included in
the documentation, when an institution plans to take its program to a new site
or expand its program. The definition
of “expansion” is set out in the section entitled “Proposals to Be Reviewed” in
this policy.

Timeline

The document described in
the previous section can only be submitted as part of the agenda at the January
or September meeting of the Board of Regents, to insure adequate review by the
State Board of Nursing and the Montana Board of Regents. The document must be received in the
offices of both Boards by December 1 or September 1.

Review

Any program proposal,
submitted under this process, will be placed on the submission agenda at the January or September meeting of the
Montana Board of Regents. The State Board
of Nursing will review the proposal, at its January or October meeting, and
make a recommendation to the Montana Board of Regents, concerning the quality
of the proposed program’s curriculum, faculty and clinical experiences. If the State Board of Nursing does not
complete its review and recommendation in January or October, it will do so at
its next quarterly meeting. The State
Board of Nursing recommendation will be part of the information forwarded to
the Montana Board of Regents when the proposed program comes before the Regents
for final approval. The Montana Board
of Regents may take final action on a nursing proposal at any meeting following
receipt of the State Board of Nursing recommendation. Once the Montana Board of Regents has approved a nursing program,
the State Board of Nursing will make a final decision about the proposed
program.

In addition to these
provisions, program proposals from institutions of the Montana University
System are also governed by other curriculum policies adopted by the Montana
Board of Regents. Those policies,
particularly the details governing the Level I and Level II process, still
apply, as long as they do not conflict with the specific provisions of this
policy.

Proposals to Be Reviewed

This
review and approval process shall apply to all proposals for new nursing
programs; to the delivery of nursing programs at new sites in Montana or other
states; and to the expansion of nursing programs.

Expansion is defined as:

1)an increase in the number of students served by a
program that equals or exceeds the numerator in the student/faculty ratio
requirements for clinical settings, as mandated by the State Board of Nursing
and national nursing accrediting agency standards; AND

2) the
increase in part 1) requires at least one of the following:

·the addition of one or
more faculty to the program;

·the addition of
clinical experiences at clinical agencies not currently used by the program;

·the addition of
clinical experiences at clinical agencies currently used by the program, but
utilizing nontraditional times or nontraditional instructional methods.